Thornclaw's Secret
by TheCarnivalAct
Summary: Thornclaw has a secret that he's been keeping for over eight years - since before the demolition of the Old Forest. Who knew Cinderheart would be the first one to find out?


Thornclaw's Secret

" _Why_ can't we be together?"

Lionblaze's amber eyes flashed, his lips drawn back into a snarl. The fur on his shoulders stood up and his tail lashed back in forth in frustration.

"You know why!" The dark gray she-cat snapped, her hackles rising. "Your destiny is too great! You must serve the Clan, and you can't be distracted by a mate and kits!"

Lionblaze scoffed, "But I love you, Cinderheart! I can protect the Clan, fulfill the prophecy, and still love you."

Cinderheart turned her back on him, closing her eyes tightly. "This won't work, Lionblaze."

The golden tabby tom lashed his tail once more before whipping around and shouldering through the undergrowth, leaving Cinderheart in the forest clearing. The two had been arguing in a sheltered hollow near the camp, and the leaves were beginning to turn gold from the coming leaf-fall. The sinking sun sent shafts of light through the treetops, dappling the forest undergrowth below.

Cinderheart closed her eyes tightly, blinking away tears that formed underneath her eyelids. She loved Lionblaze more than she could bear, but her own feeling amounted to nothing when it came to the Clan. Lionblaze was destined to save them all, and she couldn't distract him. The Clan came first, even if it meant her own broken heart.

"Not all toms are worth chasing after."

Cinderheart leapt to her paws, spinning around to see who had spoken. Thornclaw emerged from a clump of ferns, gazing at her with sympathy in his eyes. Cinderheart sighed with relief, sitting back down on the sandy ground underpaw. She wondered how much Thornclaw had heard, but given the lack of shock on his face, she assumed that he had only just arrived.

Thornclaw padded into the clearing, reaching out his tail to touch her shoulder lightly. "Starclan sometimes gives us difficult obstacles. We find ourselves drawn to cats we can't have, no matter how much we want to."

Cinderheart turned on him, eyes flashing with fury, "What do you know about love?" She hissed angrily, "You've never had a mate!"

Thornclaw blinked at her, momentarily surprised by her burst of anger, before an unexpected emotion clouded his gaze. Sadness. Loneliness. Longing. "You're wrong, Cinderheart. I've been in love." He whispered.

Cinderheart felt her anger give way to wariness. _Please, Starclan, don't let him say he's in love with me._ "With who?"

"Swiftpaw."

For a moment, Cinderheart wasn't sure where she had heard the name before. _Swiftpaw?_ As the name passed through her mind, a sudden wave of visions flashed behind her eyes.  
She saw a black and white kit padding nervously towards a pale, striped tom - Longtail? He looked much younger, and touched noses kindly to the kit. In a flash she saw the same kit, older and almost full grown, furiously stomping across a hollow clearing, towards a clump of ferns with a tree stump outside. She saw a much younger Firestar staring after him in dismay, and she could see regret in his eyes. In the next image she saw the same cat, his body sprawled on his flank, blood clotting his fur. His eyes were open and teeth bared into a snarl, but he was dead.

She instantly knew who Thornclaw meant. "Swiftpaw?" She asked, "The cat who fought the dogs when Brightheart was injured?"

Thornclaw lowered his gaze, staring down at his paws. "Y-yes. We were apprentices together."

Cinderheart stared at the golden brown tom, eyes wide. Before she could speak, Thornclaw continued. "He was my best friend. We trained together, and I never trusted another cat more than him. Near the end of our apprenticeships, I found myself falling in love with him. I know he loved me as well. He wanted Bluestar to make him a warrior so bad, and he was devastated when she refused."

Cinderheart blinked, feeling his sorrow as if it were her own. She had never seen Thornclaw so open, or to show his emotions so well. Now, she looked at the cat beside her, and felt that she had been allowed to see this part of him for a reason. "I would have been too." She sympathized.

"He tried to convince me to fight the dogs with him." Thornclaw continued, closing his eyes tightly as if the memory was painful for him. "I refused. I knew Bluestar would see reason eventually, and I knew how dangerous the dogs could be. In the end, he convinced my sister, Brightheart, to go with him.

"The last thing he ever said to me was that he hoped Bluestar would give him the name Swiftclaw." He ended, his voice breaking. "He gave his life to save my sister, and that is a debt I can never repay."

Cinderheart listened in silence, resting her tail across his shoulders. Thornclaw sniffed, pressing his muzzle against his chest as if to stifle his emotions. "After he died, and Firestar decided I could be a warrior, I asked him to name me Thornclaw. I wanted to bear the warrior name that Swiftpaw never got to have."

"You must have loved him very much." Cinderheart whispered. She couldn't imagine losing Lionblaze. The thought made her sick.

"I still do." Thornclaw murmured, looking up to lock gazes with her. "There isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss him."

"I'm so sorry, Thornclaw." Cinderheart mewed, feeling her heart break for him. "I… I had no idea."

Thornclaw swallowed thickly, breaking her gaze. He tilted his head backwards, peering through the treetops where the sky had begun to turn dark. The first few stars of Silverpelt glistened through the leaves. "I'll see him again, one day. We'll hunt together in Starclan, when it is my time to join them."

He turned away from her, beginning to pad away towards the camp. "Lionblaze loves you, Cinderheart. Do not make him wait too long. You never know when Starclan might call."

As the bracken closed behind him and he vanished into the undergrowth, Cinderheart felt her heart twist in her chest. Gazing up at Silverpelt above, her eyes locked on a single star, that seemed to glow brighter than the rest. A voice in her head told her it was Swiftpaw, watching them.

"Lionblaze's destiny has pulled us apart, as yours tore you away from Thornclaw." She whispered to him, "Watch over Thornclaw, and Thunderclan, Swiftpaw. I won't give up on Lionblaze. I love him too much."

* * *

 **I have a headcannon that Thornclaw and Swiftpaw were in love, and that is why Thornclaw never took a mate. Let me know if any of you are interested in seeing this be continued, or having a backstory on their relationship. This is also my first Warriors fic, so bear with me.**

 **This idea came to me while I was thinking about the plotline for a Cinderheart fanfiction - kind of like her own "super edition"-esque story. I thought it was interesting that Thornclaw never had a mate or even showed an interest in another cat, and this idea came to mind.**

 **Hope you guys like it!**

 **PS: Did you like the subtle memories from Cinderpelt? I tried to include things that she could possibly have witnessed, though I don't remember if she was there when Swiftpaw's body was found.**

 **By the way, this is posted on my DeviantART page Fireplanetz - it isn't stolen.  
**


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